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A LARGE number of Toowoomba drivers are putting their lives and others at risk by ignoring police and emergency service messages when it comes to driving through flooded roadways.

The heavy rain conditions experienced over the past few days have caused roads to be cut by flood waters.

The Chronicle witnessed drivers ignoring the dangers of flood waters first hand today as well as many more yesterday.

Reader poll

Do you risk driving through floodwaters if they appear to be safe?

This poll ended on 26 March 2013.

Yes - 32%

No - 67%

This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate.

Southern Region Traffic Coordinator Bruce Dimond said the amount of drivers who chose to ignore the message of "if it's flooded, forget it" was concerning.

A driver takes the risk of driving through a floodway on McDougall St today.Callum Bentley

He said police had received multiple reports of people driving through dangerous flood waters. However, motorists could not be reprimanded unless the roads were physically signed as closed.

"Even if people are driving on roads they know quite well, they don't know what condition the road is like under the water," Insp. Dimond said.

"Even if the road isn't closed, flood waters can rise extremely quickly. Only a month or so ago we saw two people killed after driving into flood waters at Sandy Creek in the Lockyer Valley, yet people still choose to risk it."